Has anyone here had success cutting down on a wine habit?

[JackieWallice]

I feel I really should be cutting down on the amount of wine I drink each week.

Struggling to find the motivation!

I did! I found the best was to do a 100 day alcohol free challenge (inspired by the blog Tired of Thinking About Drinking which also has a lot of content/ advice). That way I got to see how much of a toll drinking regularly was taking (it took a few weeks to start really feeling refreshed in the mornings etc). Plus you have to get used to social events etc without alcohol instead of just putting them off for a few weeks like you can on a Dry Jan, and basically just find new habits and ways to relax. I found shorter periods/ restricting to weekends just meant everything got scheduled around those days.

I also found a lot of the sober blogs very inspirational eg Sober Mummy, Mrs D is going without, Sober at Sixty (they are all pretty old now but I think the archives are still available and some are now books). It was nice feeling part of a movement.

I'm pregnant now so fully teetotal again, but in between I ended up going back to the occasional glass of wine when out or entertaining and was happy with that. Though that is a very personal choice and I know a lot of people do find that restarting goes back to the old habits. But you know yourself best.

Good luck, it really was worth it for me. For example, I had developed anxiety and it completely cured it. Just feel much more at peace in general, and more myself.

Fantastic! Thank you. Loads of great advice here.

Yes, totally possible, OP. I help people with this every day.

Saying you "should" sounds good on paper, but should-ing yourself into motivation is a tricky one.

So I'd start with asking why you want to cut back. Write out all the reasons.

Then write out all the reasons you drink today.

And compare the 2 lists.

The first list has to be soooooo much more compelling than the first. Because otherwise, in the moment, all the "go on, just one" talk will have priority in your brain.

I have a podcast called 90 Days Later that covers tips, techniques and tools to cut back.

And I think you're chosen a great time of year to start cutting back because there will be a lot of temptation everywhere = lots of opportunity to practice.

Happy to answer questions.

I have, I found now i'm in my 40's it was just giving me crippling health anxiety the next day and my tolerance level was so high that I could drink 2 bottles and then get up in the morning fine.

I wasn't physically addicted but it was definitely a bad habit. I read Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck and then just made the decision not to buy any today. And then none tomorrow etc

Take it a day at a time, if your an evening drinker like I was, do something else in the time you would usually buy wine or drink it. I avoided Tesco for a while, only did click and collect, did an excercise video, lots of baths, good books to immerse into.

I found after only a few days that my sleep was better, my anxiety was gone and I was a lot less puffy and bloated. Seeing the benefits helped me to keep off it.

Good luck!

I have found it helpful to have interesting non-alcoholic drinks so it feels like a treat, as otherwise I only drink water, tea and coffee. There are some nice alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits out there.

I too am at the stage where I can sink two bottles no problem and it has to stop. I have anxiety, I've put on weight, I eat rubbish following a wine binge. The negatives outweigh the positives and I start a new job on Monday where I really have to be on the ball so I'm knocking the wine on the head for a bit.

Going to get some alternatives in, like a nice juice and maybe some alcohol free beers to have on the weekend. I need to find new ways to relax.

We can do this.

At one stage I was drinking a bottle a night every night. Then I was made redundant and started temping - worked out exactly how much I was spending on this habit that was appalling for my health and my weight and that I couldn't afford and cut down - not as much as I should have, but baby steps. I lost 3 stone without even trying. Recently I was creeping up again and decided I needed an incentive so every day I didn't drink I put the cash into a pot for end of year charity donations.

For me it was habit. Hard day at a job I didn't enjoy, I deserve a drink. Now I can walk down the alcohol aisle and not even notice I'm there.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement!

I was drinking two glasses, two to four nights a week. I was feeling so tired the next day, and having a restless nights sleep. So I decided to stop.
‘At first I cut down to two nights a week, then stopped initially for a week, but carried on from there and I’ve not drunk for months now. I feel so much better.
‘I will be having a glass or two at Xmas, but then I’ll stop again.